Automatic mine door



G. BOGGIO AUTMATIC MINE Doon Filed Sept. 4. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l G. BOGGIO AUTOMATIC MINE DOOR Filed Sept. 4, 1925 2 Sheets-Shea 2 Patented Dec. 1, 1925.

UNTED STATES GIUSTO BOGG-IO, OF ROYALTON, ILLINOIS.

.AUTOMATIC MINE DOOR.

Application filed September 4, 1925.

T all fte/710m 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, GIUs'ro Bocero, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Royalton, in the county of Franklin and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Mine Doors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic mine doors, and has for its primary object a mine door which is equipped with an opening mechanism that is operated by the passage of the mine cars over the track.

A further object is to construct a mine door which is provided with an opening mechanism which can be operated from either side of the door and which will hold the door in open position until the car has passed entirely therethrough. l

A still further object is to construct a mine door which will open regardless of whether the same has been prevented from entirely closing, as is sometimes caused where lumps of coal 0r mineral fall on the tracks and prevent the entire closing of the door.

The door may also be opened manually in the event that the opening mechanism becomes deranged through any cause whatever.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top pla-n view of my device showing the operating mechanism, and with parts thereof broken away;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmental face view of a portion of the door and its operating mechanism; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

In carrying out my invention I employ ordinary tracks 5, which are mounted upon ties 6. Pivoted adjacent the tracks or rails 5 are levers 7. The opposite end of each of these levers is provided with a downwardly projecting portion 8, which enters a slot 9 preferably formedin one of the ties. This is for the purpose of guiding the lever and preventing it from shifting sidewise and out of contact with the wheel as it passes over the track.

The projection 8 is also provided with a slot 11, in which a tongue 12 formed integral with one end of the lever 13 extends. The opposite end of the lever 13 is also pivotahy secured, but at a point on the opposite side of the door 14. This door will be more fully explained later.

Serial No. 54,455.

Carried by the projection 8 is an arm 8a to which a cable or chain 15 which passes over a sheave wheel 16 carried by the bracket 17 which is preferably secured to one of the ties. This wheel is mounted vertically, so that when the lever 7 is moved downward, a pull will be exerted on the 'chain or cable. From thence it passes forward and around the sheave 19, which is also located vertically. The opposite end of the chain is attached to the end 20 of a lever 22. The opposite end of this lever is pivotally attached to a rod 23, which extends into the hollow arm 24.

`Within the arm 24 is located a coil spring which has a cushioning effect on the rod 23 and which will also permit it to telescope in the arm 24 when necessary. The arm 24 is pivotally attached at 25jl to a curved end 26 of a bell crank lever. This lever is sup-V ported in a frame 27 which extends completely across the mine shaft. Carried by the lever is the door 14, which is thus pivotally hinged along its upper edge.

Carried by the frame 27 are doors 28, which are for the purpose of permitting miners to pass without operating the door 14. It is to be understood, of course, that the bell crank lever 26 has a similar crank on the opposite side of the frame, so that the door can be readily opened in either direction. Adjacent the pivoted ends of the levers 7 and located between the tracks is a V-shaped portion 29 which has its point located centrally of the track and diverges toward the rails. To both sides of this V- shaped portion are inclined portions 30, while on the outside of each of the rails are inclined inwardly-tapering portions 31. The purpose of these portions is that should the car be derailed through any cause whatever, it will not be necessary to stop the car to replace it on the rails, as these parts will automatically serve this purpose so that there will be no possibility of the wheels missing the lever 7 and opening the door.

The operation of my device is as follows:

When my car comes along the track, the wheels' will necessarily strike one of the levers 7, depressing it. This depression of the lever will carry the projecting portion 8 downwardly and exert a pull on the chain 15. The pull on the chain 15 will cause the lever 22 to rock on its pivot point 32, thus pushing upward on the rod 23 and arm 24. This upward push will cause the end 26 of therethrough ot' the mine car, or even a ate the doors-in opposite directions.

-through an arc of ninety degrees. -tention is to have the door swing up only high enough to clear the carsv and their load train of cars, because at all times will one oi' the wheels of the car be in `contact with one ci the levers holding the door open, and

therefore yall possibility et theY doorA closing or even moving downwardly7 duringthe passage ot a car is eliminated. Y

The spring also serves the purpose'ot allowing the end 26 out the/bell crank lever to pass over center or' past its lowestpoint. rlhis is essential because it this feature were not present it would-be impossible to oper- Furthermore, should -a lump of coal or other mineral tall on thetrack v'andprevent the door :trom closing entirely, the end 26 `will be past center and as soon as one ot the levers 7 is contacted with, ywill operate the door. rlhis arrangement permitsmy door to be opened in either direction, regardless of the direction of travel ofthe mine car. T herleven?" however, is of su-tlicient length so that should the door yopenvtowards-the approaching car, which would be the case were the door blocked and'prevented from closing entirely, suticient space is provided to permit-the door to swing outward to its fullest extentbetore the car reaches the door, thus obviating the necessity' of stopping the car to remove the obstruction from the track so that it can be swung in the opposite direction.

A leaf spring 1S isv secured to one otfthe ties 6. This is for the purpose of holding the free ends ot the levers? and 13 up so vthat their weight will be removed from the cables, in this manner the swinging of the door la dueto drafts'is practically elimi nated.

It is not necessary that my door swing My inso that when the door is fully-opened, ra horizontal position ot the door-will' not be necessary, because the rootoft` the tunnel is Asuiliciently high to obviate thisnecessity.

In other words, swinging t-lie door through an arc of between seventy and eighty degrees will be sutlicient to accomplislimy purpose. The amount ot swing, however,will be governed by the height ofY the mine pasver pivotally mounted.intermediate its ends locatedv adjacent saidframe,a connection between one endiof said lever and said bell 'crank'leven a flexible connection secured to vthe opposite. end ot'- said pivoted lever, and

a lever mechanism Asecured to the opposite end of the flexible connection whereby said door is opened when thelast mentionedV lever `mechanism is depressed.

2. An automatic mine door ycomprising a trame, a double bell crank lever mounted iii said trame adjacent the top thereof, a door `secured to and depending from said lever, valever mechanismsecured to each ot :said

bell crank-levers, a second lever mechanism located on each side ot said traine and said door and adapted to be depresed by the passage ot a mine car, anda connection between the last. mentioned lever mechanism andthe first mentioned lever mechanism whereby on the depression oit. the second mentioned lever mechanism the door` is opened.

3. An autoinaticimine door comprising a trame, a. double bell crank lever mounted in said frame adjacent the top thereof, a door secured to and depending from said lever, a

lever mechanism secured to each of said bell crank levers, a second lever mechanism lo cated on each side of saidfframe and said f door, said lever mechanisms extending in opposite direction. and so arranged that upon the passage ot' a mine car the contact with vone of said lever mechanisms is not broken until after the other lever mechanism has been contacted with, and flexible connections between the last mentionedvlever mechanism and the iirst mentioned mechanism whereby on depression otl the second mentioned Alever mechanism thel door is -openedand remains open until the car has `passed a predetermined distance beyond tlie door.

et. rThe automatic mine door ot claiin'- in which a portion of the lever mechanism connected to the bell crank lever ismade telescopic whereby said doo-r Iisfpermitted to swing in either direction.

In testimony whereof I `have ai'iixed my signature.

i GIUSTO BOGGIG. 

